Road to Redemption
by sryboutyodmnluc
Summary: Join Seth Rollins on his road to redemption and Talia who inevitably finds herself in his cross hairs. What could happen when two separate lives collide? Could it bring more devastation and turmoil? Or some happiness and a few life realizations along the way? Let's find out!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Beginnings

 ****Fair Warning - I have no earthly clue where this story is going so we're just going to go on a writing adventure together. xo****

Sitting on his couch in his house in Iowa, Seth was just lurking through Twitter. His notifications were blowing up but that was nothing new for him. He ignored them, he'd go through them later. Right now he was looking for a specific person. She didn't tweet him often but when she did it was always a variety of some crazy things. The latest one had to of been the funniest. She asked him if he liked chocolate and if he did was it dark or milk. He didn't know how literal she meant that but it was hilarious to say the least. He didn't follow any fans but he'd follow her in a heartbeat. However, he's lurked on some of her worst days and boy did he feel castrated. She never held anything back. He wondered if she was really like that in real life. Boy he'd really like to know.

"Why are you still lounging on the couch? Don't you have to get to your wrestling school?"

Not looking at his girlfriend he just rolled his eyes. She came out of the bedroom dressed in some black leggings, a black tank top and her hair tied up in a bun. They'd been dating at least a year and some days he wished he could be anywhere but there. His house was supposed to be a sanctuary when he was off from weeks of traveling. However, that was hardly possible now. She was everywhere. On his Twitter, his Instagram, in his house it was overwhelming. And whenever they were together she was always complaining about some Twitter crap. Kind of like how she was right now. It was getting old. He usually ignored the people who dragged his relationship through the mud but she kept egging them on. It was over and done with. He wished she would shut up about it already. He thought back to the girl on Twitter who was one of the millions blocked by his girlfriend. He knew she hated her with a passion but sometimes when he read her Twitter he thought to himself how accurate she was. It was like she was speaking to him without knowing a damn thing about him. He gathered she was wise beyond her years. It was endearing if he was being honest.

"Ugh these Twitter warriors won't stop. BLOCKED! They weren't cool enough anyway."

"Will you chill? Leave them alone already. Geez!"

"Why? They keep hoppin' in my mentions every time I tweet something. I could tweet an emoji and they'd jump down my throat. They just jealous they ain't me."

"I highly doubt they're jealous."

"Puuhhlleeaassseee Seth they wish they were sucking your dick every night. They're jealous because I'm lit and they're not. They can keep being salty I don't give a fuck."

"If you don't give a fuck then why do you keep entertaining them?" He asked while getting off the couch. He needed to get ready to head to his wrestling school. Unfortunately, she was coming with him so he knew some more Twitter drama would come from this. He really was getting grey hairs from all this. It would soon replace his blonde if it didn't stop soon.

 _Somewhere in Missouri…_

It was a Wednesday evening and Talia was in her queen sized bed curled up searching for something to watch on Netflix. When she couldn't settle on anything she hopped onto the WWE Network. Landing on SummerSlam she skipped to Seth's match against Cena. It was one of her personal favorites. She loved watching his athleticism at its finest and the all-white gear was always a plus. He was a tough cookie to deal with but she'd always have a soft spot for him in her heart. Some days she wished she was able to tell him how much he meant to her but she didn't want to come off as a crazy fan. So instead she left her thoughts about him on Twitter. That included the good bad and the ugly. It's not like he'd ever see them and if he did she wasn't ashamed of it. Somehow she became known for speaking her mind about him and that would never change. Somebody had to say what everybody was thinking. Speaking of Twitter she hadn't been on all day.

Picking up her phone from beside her, she logged on and immediately wanted to log off. It was the same old shit and her blood was starting to boil. The first thing she saw was a picture of Seth at his wrestling school, which she wasn't surprised by. What surprised her was seeing his girlfriend in the background. Scrolling down her timeline everybody was dragging that woman for absolute filth. She was so tempted to join in but she'd said enough over the past year she was running out of things to say. She'd called that woman everything but a child of God. It would be a surprise of the century if she could come up with another name that she hadn't already used. So instead of joining in the drag session, she just read her timeline. Not going to lie it was always good entertainment to see what people said about her. It was always a variation of the same thing but it still made her laugh. Seth really needed to upgrade soon or this would never end.

" _Come hit this chocolate you wouldn't have these issues."_ Was all Talia tweeted before logging off and getting back to watching SummerSlam.

 _Back in Iowa…_

It was close to eleven pm and Seth was locking up his gym. It was a long session but his students did a really good job tonight. They all hung in there and they never quit. In a way he felt like a proud father. Wrestling wasn't an easy sport. If it was then everybody could do it. He couldn't believe this group was coming to a close. It felt like they just started. There was only a few weeks left before he would be sending out that tweet for people to start signing up.

After double checking the front doors, he walked to his Cadillac and slid into the driver's side. He was exhausted but really wanted a damn drink. Speeding out of the parking lot he headed towards Hawkeye Bar & Grill. He wasn't planning on getting plastered but a few beers would do the trick. He didn't drink very often during the week anyway so he needed this since it was his only day off. He'd be back on the road bright and early tomorrow for at least a three week stretch. If this was going to be his only drink between now and then it would be well worth it.

"Babe where are we going?"

"I need a drink." Was what he responded with.

"Damn what's your problem?"

He really wanted to say "you," but he kept it too himself. He had really been feeling some animosity towards Yasmina as of late. He didn't understand why. Maybe this was karma for his previous transgressions. Whatever the reason this woman was edging herself closer and closer out the damn door. There just had to be someone out there better for him than this. She couldn't possibly be it. He should've just made this a hit it and quit it road smash. But nope, he had to go and make his life extremely difficult by keeping her around. Ugh, getting this up into his head he might just end up going to get himself plastered after all. Early morning be damned.

Pulling into the parking lot of Hawkeye Bar & Grill, he turned the car off and slid out. He waited for Yasmina to get out so he could lock the doors. When she didn't immediately emerge he opened his door again to see her still buckled into the passenger's seat typing away on her phone.

"What are you doing? Are you coming?" He asked in an irritating voice.

"Yeah hold on. Let me put this fan in her place."

"Oh my goodness you just don't quit do you?"

"When they will I will. It's that simple. They should just keep my name out their mouth and we wouldn't have any issues."

"Oh I'm sure that's exactly when you'll stop berating those children. Look when you're done lock the door and come inside."

He threw his car keys on her lap and slammed his door. Marching into the bar he really needed this drink pronto or his head would explode. He couldn't believe how serious she took this Twitter drama. It was so childish. He could guess she was older than most of them yet she continued to act like a petulant child. Granted he didn't help the situation at times but this was just getting ridiculous and stupid. There had to be a way out of this or he'd be a glutton for punishment.

Sliding onto a bar stool he greeted the bartender and asked her to keep the drinks coming and his tab open. She obliged. While she went to get his first beer of the night, he pulled out his cell phone and logged onto his Twitter. The first thing he did was retweet a few fans before doing his usual lurking. He started with his girlfriend's to see what had her in such a tizzy. When he saw it was over some picture from his wrestling school he just rolled his eyes and moved on. Against his better judgment he went to that same fan page he couldn't seem to stay away from. He noticed that she hadn't tweeted much and she also hadn't dragged his girlfriend like he was so use too. It made him wonder what was going on in her brain because he had a suspicion she got wind of that picture just like probably all of his fan base. Something told him deep down that she was coming to a resolution with not only herself but with him and his situationship as well. For some reason that thought worried him. Plus her only tweet of that day said it all.

" _Come hit this chocolate you wouldn't have these issues."_

He smirked at her tweet as he logged off and started chugging back his first of many beers. Maybe he did need to broaden his horizons, he thought to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Late Night's Even Earlier Morning's

Yasmina was sitting on the bar stool next to Seth watching as he was all but slumped over the counter. She shut down his tab about twenty minutes ago after about his fifteenth shot. She'd never seen him like this and now she had no idea how to get him out of there. He was heavy enough sober she could only imagine how heavy he would be drunk. This was a disaster. He had to be up at like 5 and it was almost 1. Picking up her phone she dialed the number of a close friend. He didn't live in Iowa but she vaguely remember seeing something saying that he'd be in town for a while doing a few shows. Waiting for the person to answer she reached over and pulled up Seth who almost fell off the bar stool.

" _Hello. Hello."_

"Yeah hi I need help."

" _Why?"_ the voice asked irritatingly

"It's Seth he's piss ass drunk and I can't get him home like this."

" _Then call him a damn cab Yasmina and drive his car behind it. Simple."_

"I couldn't get him to a cab even if I tried."

" _How did you even know I was in town?"_

"Does that even matter right now? Just come on."

" _Fine. Where are you?"_

"Hawkeye Bar & Grill."

" _Ugh give me twenty minutes and be ready when I get there. This is ridiculous it's almost one in the morning. Why is he even out this damn late at night anyway?"_

Yasmina figured he asked that question more to himself than her. Plus her suspicions were answered when he hung up on her. Putting her phone into her pants pocket she asked the bartender for a glass of water. She had to get Seth somewhat coherent so he wouldn't be such a complete mess when Jimmy came to get him. Their friend, well more like Seth's friend from way back in his Tyler Black days, Jimmy Jacobs was on his way. She didn't know who else to call. Yeah she could've easily called a cab like he suggested but that would only do so much. What happens when she tries to get Seth in the house? She'd crumble under his weight and she was getting tired herself. This whole night was a mess. She had no idea why he wanted to go to **a** bar anyway knowing what his schedule looked like. He was going to end up paying for this severely.

Just as the bartender was about to give her another glass of water for Seth, Jimmy walked through the door. He looked none too pleased. Wearing some sweatpants, a white T-shirt, some Nikes and a jacket, he walked over to her with a scowl on his face. It was well known he wasn't a fan of hers but she suspected there was more behind that. She dare not dwell on it now because she didn't want to cause more of a rift between them. When he reached them, he completely ignored her and tapped Seth on the shoulders.

"Hey bro. Seth. Get your drunk ass up it's time to go."

Seth mumbled a few incoherent words and slid off the bar stool almost landing on his ass if Jimmy hadn't caught him. Grabbing her stuff, Yasmina walked behind Jimmy and headed towards the car. Watching Jimmy with Seth was solidifying her reason for calling him. Even he was struggling under the weight of Seth so it damn sure wouldn't have gone over well if she'd have tried this on her own. When they arrived at his Cadillac, Jimmy leaned him up against the passenger side door and put his hand out.

"Keys." Was all he said without even looking in her direction.

Instead of handing them to him she just reached into Seth's front pocket and pulled them out of his skinny jeans. Unlocking the doors she stepped back and let Jimmy help Seth into the front seat. Once he was done he slammed the door and turned to look at her. His eyes were burning with anger. Whatever he didn't say when he first arrived he now was.

"Why did you let him get like this?"

"I have no control over his liquor consumption. This was his decision to go to a bar. I happened to be with him. This ain't my fault."

"Are you serious right now? You saw he was getting wasted and you just sat there. Let me guess you cut off his tab right before you called me? How much did he decide to drink?"

"I think he had like twenty beers and fifteen shots."

"And he's got to be on the road early doesn't he?"

"Yeah I think so."

"You think so? Look I know your current job situation doesn't have all that many standards of how there wrestlers show up to work but Seth has worked to damn hard to get where he is right now. I'll be damned if it all gets thrown away because one night he decided he didn't want to hold his liquor correctly. You've been a toxic part of his life ever since this relationship started. I am willing to bet my life you're a major part of why he is so inebriated right now."

"Jimmy why have you always been so mean? You low-key trying to tell me you like me?"

"Yasmina wow! Just when I thought your life couldn't get any more tragic you ask me that asinine ass question. Your boyfriend and my best friend is all but passed out drunk in his car and you're asking me that question. Wow. Sweetheart, let me tell you something this isn't kindergarten where the boy bullies the girl because he likes her. I despise you and your presence makes me sick. Seth apparently found some redeeming qualities in you so I tolerate you for him. But don't think for one second that I like you in any shape, form, or fashion. Get over yourself."

"Whatever Jimmy I see how you look at me behind his back."

"If you're seeing anything other than disgust then you're just as stupid and delusional as I always thought you were."

Leaving her standing there he headed back to his truck which had Zombie Princess engraved on his side door. Sliding into the driver's seat of Seth's Cadillac she sped out of the parking lot with Jimmy close behind her. It was going to take them at least thirty minutes to get back to the house and she blew a few stop signs and lights to quicken up the process. She was fucking exhausted and just imagining getting Seth into his house was going to make her even more tired.

Although, illegally blowing a few stop signs she thankfully arrived home about twenty minutes later. Pulling the car into the driveway she turned the car off, as Jimmy pulled his truck up next to the curb. While Jimmy got Seth out of the car, she went and unlocked the front door. As they stumbled up the front steps Seth was mumbling some mess under his breath. She couldn't understand a damn thing and on top of that he looked like he was about to puke. Which she ended up being right about because he barely made it a few steps into the house when he stumbled and tripped towards the bathroom. Locking the door behind them, she headed towards the bathroom to help him but Jimmy stopped her.

"I got this. Go get him some water and aspirin."

He stood there daring her to do anything other than what he just told her. Turning on her heels she walked into the kitchen and filled up a glass with ice and water, grabbed an extra bottle of water, and some aspirin out of the top cabinet. She slowly walked back to the bedroom and placed it on the bedside table just as Jimmy was tossing Seth on the bed. She watched as Jimmy rummaged around in some drawers and landed on a pair of sweatpants and threw them at Seth.

"Put those on bro. Now."

Seth did as he was told struggling so, but managed to get them on.

"My head is pounding." He slurred.

"Here take this. Sit up and take this."

Jimmy opened the bottle of aspirin and handed Seth two pills and the glass of water. He tossed them back like it was nothing and went back to snuggling under the covers. All Yasmina could do was stand in the bedroom doorway and standby. She'd never be able to be there for Seth like most of the people in his life. Take tonight for example, she didn't even try to help him she just called someone and let them do all the work. What kind of girlfriend was she if she couldn't even help the man when he was drunk? She needed to do better.

"I'll be back in the morning." Jimmy said as he walked past her.

"Wait why?"

"Because I'm assuming he needs to be at the airport at the ass crack of dawn and I can't trust you to do it yourself."

Jimmy just walked out leaving her standing in the hallway. Shaking her head she went to lock the door and get ready for bed. Instead of getting into bed with Seth, she changed her clothes, grabbed a blanket from his closet and settled on the couch. She knew it was probably something he wanted anyway. Lately, he had been distancing himself and she didn't know why. Was it another woman? She thought this as she settled into the couch and went to sleep.

 _The next morning…_

Seth woke up to a head splitting headache, and the sun was starting to shine into his room. He barely remembered anything from last night and he damn sure didn't know how in the hell he got home. Slowly maneuvering around his king sized bed, he got up to take a shower. He had no clue what time it was but he did vaguely remember he had to be at the airport by seven. This three week non-stop schedule was starting in Florida and ending at a signing in Missouri.

Grabbing his clothes for the day he walked into the bathroom. Splashing water on his face, he took a piss and stepped into the shower. He let the hot water wake him up and push him into the sober side of life. He couldn't show up to work hungover but luckily the house show in Florida wasn't until 7:30 so he had some time.

When he was done standing under the hot water he washed his almost full black hair, and then washed his body. Thirty minutes later he wrapped a towel around his waist, and brushed his teeth before pulling his hair up into a bun. He planned on wearing a hat for numerous reasons. Stepping out of the towel, he threw on his boxers and pulled on his skinny jeans before walking out of the bathroom shirtless. He headed back to his room and started packing his suitcases. He really regretted getting drunk last night because all this could've been done but now he's got to rush and pack all his shit.

"Well you look ten times better than you did last night."

Turning around he came face to face with his longtime friend Jimmy Jacobs leaning against his bedroom door.

"What are you doing here bro?"

"Coming to take yo ass to the airport."

"Okay that wasn't entirely what I meant. What are you doing in Iowa?"

"Well I'm doing a show here all week and your lovely girlfriend called me last night to help get your drunk ass home. What happened?"

"Whatchu mean?"

"You don't ever drink like that when you've got to hit the road the next day. So I ask again what happened? Was it her?"

"I'll tell you in the car. I'll meet you outside in 10 okay?"

"Alright."

Seth watched as Jimmy turned around and left him standing in the middle of his bedroom. Last night shouldn't have happened. He was letting whatever animosity and anger he had towards Yasmina get to him. The more he stayed around her the more toxic he became and that spelled trouble for anyone around him.

Grabbing the rest of his clothes he folded them up in his suitcase and shut it. He grabbed both his suitcases and the world heavyweight title and set them by the door. Going back to his room he picked up a random shirt, a hoodie out of his closet, and a hat from off his dresser. Putting some deodorant on, he put on his shirt and went into the kitchen. He noticed Yasmina wasn't even up yet. What a surprise there. Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge he left her a note on the counter and left his house for his three week stretch on the road.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: In My Head

Walking out of his house with some shades on so he didn't puke from still being a bit hungover, he threw his luggage in Jimmy's truck and hopped in. Resting his head on the seat he closed his eyes and let the drive soothe his mind. He knew the current silence in the car wasn't bound to last long because he knew Jimmy was going to want an explanation for his drunken stupor last night. He just didn't exactly know how to explain it to himself let alone to someone else. He knew it had to be mainly over Yasmina. She had been getting on his very last nerve lately. Like she was with him so what was the point in her antagonizing all his fans on the daily. It was foolish. However, if he was being completely honest with himself that same girl on Twitter was also getting to him. He just couldn't explain it but she did something to him. He was hoping last night would drown out whatever weird feelings he was getting towards her. This was a territory he'd never experienced before. Hell Yasmina was his damn girlfriend for crying out loud yet he didn't feel anything close to what he felt for I guess you could call her his mini Twitter crush. That sounded so stupid in his head but he didn't even know her real name. She was constantly changing it. There's been everything from "Harleen Quinzel," to "Rollins Rat," which he had to laugh at, and lately "Antisocial Pessimist." Man he really did sound like a fucking stalker. There was no way he could ever admit this shit out loud or people would think he was legitimately crazy.

"What's going on in your head bro?"

"Too much." He replied.

"Well tell me. I've always been a good listener."

"That's true maybe sometimes just a little too good."

"Ha maybe guess we'll never truly know."

He just rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses. Jimmy really was the only person who could get through to him. Although, it might take him repeating the same shit over and over for him to finally get it together but regardless Jimmy was always right. He hadn't failed him yet. So why was he struggling so hard to speak what was on his mind? Maybe because what he was feeling really was stupid? Or because he'd gone completely overboard? He really didn't know but he did know Jimmy could help him if he just spoke up.

"Okay if I tell you something you promise not to judge me?"

"I can't guarantee that because I'm always judging you bro but I'll try my best not too."

"That's all I ask."

"Alright. So what's up?"

"I can't do this anymore."

"Can't do what?"

"Relationships. Yasmina. People. Life in general. I just can't seem to stop fucking up."

"Wait a minute. What do you mean?"

"Well Yasmina for a start. She's everywhere and I can't deal with her anymore. But I guess I deserve this."

"Deserve what? To be unhappy? Miserable? No. We all make mistakes. That doesn't mean we deserve to dwell in our own unhappiness."

"I was happy once."

"And you can be happy again. If it's not with Yasmina, then there'll be someone else. But don't think that you don't deserve to be happy because of one screw-up. There's no use in wallowing in your own self-pity or continuing to string her along for that matter. I'm pretty sure she's figured something is up with you anyway."

"You think she's really noticed."

"Dude subtlety isn't your strong suit. She's sleeping on the couch for fucks sake and I'm sure last night hadn't been the first time. Look in my dating time if she's sleeping on the couch that means she's just one step closer to the door. And now I think is no better time than any to show her the way out because you look absolutely miserable."

"I just can't do it."

"Do what? Break up with her? I'm sure if you go about it the right way this time I can't guarantee it'll be easy but I'm sure it'll be less stressful this time around."

"Can I just send her a text and tell her to pack her shit and go?"

"You could but don't be that guy. You know how she is. She'd air out your dirty laundry in a heartbeat if you did it that way. Hell she might do it regardless."

"And I don't need that nor do I want that."

"Well if it happens it happens and you know I'll always be here for you."

"I know thanks."

"Plus I've seen some of your fans they're some savages. So if Yasmina tries anything they'll skin her like a damn cat. But in all seriousness I don't care how this goes, you have to do what's best for you in the long run. Walking around bitter and angry isn't helping you or anyone else."

"You think Roman or Dean can just bash my head in with a chair so I can forget this whole mess."

"I think that would be pushing the boundaries of your friendship." Jimmy laughed

"Yeah you might be right."

"Oh I know I am."

"Jackass."

"Always and forever."

Jimmy pulled his truck into the parking lot of the Des Moines International Airport. Seth's flight was just in a little over an hour and he already saw fans lined up outside. He was too hung over to be dealing with them this morning. He never understood how they even knew his schedule like that. It was creepy and weird to him. So instead of stopping, he fist bumped Jimmy before walking into the airport and straight past all those fans. He didn't give a damn how rude it came off but today was not his day to begin with. Plus it was barely six in the morning. Didn't they have school or some shit? Where were their parents? How could they condone this foolishness let alone drive all this way to help them partake in this stalking mess?

 _Back in Missouri…_

Talia was tossing and turning in her sleep. She didn't have to be at school until 10:45 but at almost 6 am she couldn't seem to sleep. There was this feeling deep in her stomach that something was wrong. She couldn't tell if it had happened already or if it was going to but she had a feeling today was going to be a rough one. To calm her nerves, she grabbed her phone from the dresser and her headphones and scrolled down until she came across Seth's theme song. His theme was always a go to when she got all up in her head. However, the moment it started playing that feeling deep in her stomach came back. Did the impending doom have something to do with him? Even if something did happen what the hell could she do about it? He didn't know her from a can of paint from Lowe's and he never would. So why was she so worried about him all of a sudden? This was ridiculous that she was losing sleep over him.

She knew that listening to music wasn't going to calm her nerves so she put her phone back and forced herself to sleep. The blessing of having narcolepsy, she thought to herself as she drifted back into a dream state.

What could possibly be going on that had Talia all riled up? There was clearly a storm brewing but when would it arrive? Only time could possibly tell.

 _An hour later in Iowa…_

Seth was just boarding his plane to Florida a little before seven a.m. He'd caught it just in time even though the security screeners wanted to stop and look at his belt. It was a usual occurrence so he was used to it but this morning he was in a hurry. Settling into his window seat he pulled the shade down and got on his phone.

 _We need to talk when I get back._

Ever since getting out of the car he had been mulling over that conversation. By the time he'd gotten on the plane he figured out what he needed to do. Once again Jimmy Fuckin' Jacobs was right. He hated to admit it but he came through in the clutch once again. Although, Seth figured this was bound to happen he just didn't think he would be feeling what he was. That was resolved. He wasn't angry or upset about it but more so relieved than anything else.

"Um sir. Can you help me please I can't seem to reach the overhead bin."

Looking up he noticed a short lady in her mid-40s struggling to get her carry on in the bin. Standing up he grabbed the bag and slid it into the bin.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome ma'am."

"No need to call me ma'am makes me feel old."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it sweetheart. Can I ask you a question?" She asked as they were both settling into their respective seats.

"Are you a wrestler?"

"Yeah." He replied apprehensively.

"I thought so. You look like one of the guys my daughter likes."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah aren't you part of some tag team thing?"

"I was yeah." He laughed.

"I'm trying to see if I remember your name. I don't really know much about this nor do I understand why she still watches it. But anyway isn't your name like Shawn, Steve, or Seth something?"

"Seth Rollins?" he prompted her

"Yeah, yeah that's it. I think you're my daughter's favorite or one of her favorites anyway. Here let me show you a picture of her."

Before he could stop her, the woman was pulling out her cell phone and bringing up her photos. It didn't take her long before she landed on the one she wanted him to see.

"My daughter would kill me if I showed you a bad picture of her. Her name is Talia." She said as she handed him her phone.

This picture that had his eyes glued to the phone was not one he expected to see. This was the girl from Twitter and she was more gorgeous than he realized. It just had to be fate that he was sitting next to her mother. Just when he thought his life couldn't get crazier something like this happens.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Fate or Coincidence

Two hours later Seth's flight was landing at Lambert St. Louis International Airport. This was his layover before he boarded another plane that would take him to Florida. Although, he had every plan to sleep Talia's mother kept him up. Not in an overbearing and annoying kind of way but a kind hearted get to know you kind of way. He learned a lot about Talia that he figured she didn't want many people knowing especially not him. From what her mother said, she was everything that he thought she was. Her Twitter didn't lie. She really was that care free no bullshit kind of girl she portrayed herself to be on Twitter. He really had to meet this girl.

Getting up he helped Talia's mother with her carry-on bag before heading off the flight. Before he parted ways he had to ask her a question first.

"Um ma'am…"

"What did I say about calling me ma'am?" She replied back with a smile on her face.

"I'm sorry it's just habit I guess."

"Well for today's purposes call me Sandra."

"Okay Sandra can I ask you a question real quick?"

"Sure."

"I'm going to be back in St. Louis doing a meet and greet in about three weeks. Do you know if your daughter happens to know about it?"

"Knowing her I'm sure she does."

"Well even if she already does can you give her this for me?"

He handed her a folded up piece of paper.

"Tell her it's my personal invitation and I hope to see her there."

"Are you trying to get with my daughter sir?"

That left him speechless because he didn't exactly have an answer to that question. He was but he wasn't. However, he couldn't exactly admit that to this girl's mother what he was feeling. That would've been super awkward and more than he could handle at the present moment.

"Never mind, don't answer that. It looked like you were about to have an aneurysm. Don't worry I'll make sure she gets the message." She laughed

"Thank you."

"You're very welcome. Safe travels."

"Same to you."

And with that they headed in two opposite directions. He headed for his next flight while she went to the baggage claim area. He didn't often believe in coincidences but today was one he might actually consider. Unless it was fate. He didn't know and his brain was starting to get too full with all these crazy emotions. He had to talk to someone about this fast before he went and screwed something up again. His first instinct was to call Jimmy but then he decided to wait until he got into Florida. He knew the best person for this and he'd just wait to talk to them.

* * *

Talia woke up to her phone alarm blaring next to her head. Flailing around, she struggled to find her phone to shut it off. She finally found it when she almost knocked it on the floor. Turning it off, she looked at the time. It was 9:30 and she had to start getting ready for school. Getting out of bed, she grabbed her clothes along with her hygiene products and went to the bathroom. On her way there she heard the front door unlock. She forgot her mom was coming back that morning. Putting her things in the bathroom, she came back out just in time to see her mom walking through the door. Heading down the steps she stopped on the bottom one and greeted her mom.

"Hey ma."

"Hey sweetheart. How are you? Getting ready for school?"

"I'm good. Yeah I just woke up. Do you want some help with your luggage?"

"No I'm okay I'll just bring the car in and take them in through the garage."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, go ahead and get ready for school. I don't want you to be late."

"Okay, don't say I didn't ask."

She laughed and turned to head back upstairs when her mom stopped her.

"Oh wait before you go I need to give you something."

"You brought me back a present? That's a first."

"Well it's not exactly from me."

"Oh?" She asked in a confused tone.

Watching her mom rummage through her purse, she started to get impatient. Whatever this "present" was it wasn't exactly big if her mom couldn't find it. She wanted to know what it was but her patience was starting to run out.

"Mom I'll get it later."

"No it's here somewhere. I know I put it up right after he gave it to me."

"Wait a minute. Back up. Who's he?"

"One of your wrestling guys."

"Oh cuz that narrows it down."

At this point, Talia was really starting to think her mom was mistaken. What were the chances of her mom running into a wrestler let alone one of her favorites? Absolutely slim to none. Yeah her mom was losing it.

"It's the one you do your hair after. Seth something or other. He's really nice."

That was debatable she thought to herself as her mom continued her rummaging.

"Mom seriously what are you talking about?"

She was getting annoyed now because this was ridiculous. Why was her mom playing with her emotions like this? If she was playing a joke on her it wasn't funny, but then again her mom was hit or miss in the joke department. This one was definitely a huge miss.

"Wait here it is."

She saw her mom pull out a piece of paper from her jacket pocket of all places. Grabbing it she unfolded the paper to see a message written on it.

 _Hey Talia. You're a wrestling fan huh? Well as fate would have it I ran into your mother and she told me all about you. Not sure if you know this or not but I'll be back in St. Louis in a few weeks doing a meet and greet. Come see me. Consider this your personal invitation._

 _-Seth Rollins_

Well mark this down as the most shocking moment of her life. Her mom turned out not to be completely crazy. However, she had a lot of explaining to do. Starting with what exactly did she tell THE SETH ROLLINS?

"Well what's it say? He's not trying to get with you is he?"

"Mom one question at a time. He basically just invited me to his meet and greet. Which I had already planned on going to anyway. And to answer your second question no he's not trying to get with me. He's 29 I'm not even 21 yet let's start there. Plus he's got a girlfriend albeit a nasty one but a girlfriend nonetheless. Not that that's stopped him before. Now that I've answered your question I have one of my own."

"And that would be?"

"What exactly did you tell him?"

"Nothing deep calm down. I told him you were a fan of his and I showed him a picture of you in his shirt."

"MOM YOU DID WHAT!? WHY!?" she screamed

"I don't see the big deal you looked great."

"What's great to you is tragic to me. Ugh this is embarrassing."

"Why? You act like you don't post pictures on that bird app thing all the time."

"Twitter? I do but that doesn't mean he sees them. That would require him to lurk my page which I'm 1000% sure he definitely doesn't do. I'm going to be sick."

"Oh stop being so dramatic. I thought you'd be excited about something like this."

"Don't get me wrong this is pretty cool but not at the extent of me being thrown under the bus. Ugh this day just went from uneventful to destructive. I knew some impending doom was bound to happen, I just didn't foresee it being this. I am not going to school today I think I could puke at any moment."

"Talia come on now."

"Look ma I ain't mad at ya I am just a little overwhelmed. I know you don't understand my obsession with wrestling but this really is a big deal to me."

"I understand more than you know. Just get ready for school it'll all be fine. Before you know it you'll be meeting him."

"Not sure I want to do that now." She mumbled but of course her mom heard her.

"Why not he wants his boo to come see him."

"Mom stop. I'm not his boo just a fan." She groaned

"I think you're more than that."

"Mom seriously you've got to stop because I'm one step away from laughing hysterically in your face."

"You don't know what I saw."

"I'm just gonna pretend you didn't just say that."

Turning around she went back upstairs and into the bathroom. Even though her thoughts were bound to be a jumbled mess for the rest of the day she couldn't miss school over this mess. She had a life outside of her love for wrestling and that's what she needed to focus on. Dwelling on what this looked like was not something she needed to do. She was a fan and it was in her best interest to remember that regardless of what her mother thought she saw. If she got caught up that would be her demise. However, she couldn't control what Seth was thinking that's for sure. His actions were that of his own and she wasn't going to be any part of them. Or so she thought.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: New Day, Same Problems

Seth finally arrived at Orlando International Airport a little before noon. He was exhausted both mentally and physically but was able to finally get a much needed nap on his second flight. Now he was just stuck with a slight headache and was still a bit hungover. At least he wasn't still on the verge of throwing up his guts, he thought to himself as he headed off the plane and walked to the baggage claim. Now that he was back in the real world and not in his beautiful dreams he just woke up from, he was forced to face the conversation he really didn't want to have. He couldn't seem to get his mind off Talia, or Yasmina for that matter. He had no clue how that conversation was going to go but he knew it was something that needed to happen for him to move forward. Despite what Jimmy had told him earlier, he was still at odds with himself over a few things, especially Talia. He truly didn't know what to do about her. Were his feelings real or was he just projecting his own personal problems onto someone else trying to escape what was really bothering him? One thing he did know was the longer he stayed with Yasmina the angrier he'd be, and that was never good for anybody. So the moment he got home he was nipping this in the bud. It was one year too long, she'd overstayed her welcome.

Finally reaching the baggage claim carousel, he grabbed his heavy luggage and turned to head to the rent-a-car station. With his sunglasses on he could see people stopping and staring, but he didn't acknowledge them. It was more for their sake than his because he knew the mood he was in and he didn't want to see anyone running to social media to complain he was being an asshole once again. Oh well, there was nothing he could do about what people felt about him. He was still the same person that he was when he started in this business. Well at least that's what he thought. Numerous times, he came across tweets insinuating that Yasmina had changed him for the worst. He didn't see that as being true but then again sometimes people on the outside looking in saw things differently.

Walking up to the Avis Car Rental station he smiled at the lady behind the desk. She smiled back even though he got the feeling work was the last place she wanted to be.

"Hello ma'am, how are you today?" He asked

"I'm okay, how about yourself?" She replied back in a sad but sweet voice.

"It's just one of those days but we'll get through it right?"

She stopped so abruptly like he said something that she most definitely needed to hear in that moment. Taking off his sunglasses, he looked her in the eyes and smiled. For some reason he wanted her to know that he was being sincere with her.

"You do that to all the ladies?" She smiled up at him.

"Nope. Just too beautiful women who seem to need a pick me up. Whatever is going on you can survive it."

"You're a smooth one. Now you got me all distracted from what I'm supposed to be doing and that's helping you get a rental car. Right?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Please call me Jessica."

"Okay Jessica. I had requested a four door SUV. What you got?"

As she searched for a car for him he pulled out his phone and sent out a text to Cesaro. He was supposed to be riding with him and didn't know what time he was scheduled to get in.

"What's the name under this?"

He gave her his real name instead of the one majority of the world knew him by at this point.

While she was pulling up his records a text came through to his phone.

" _Just landed, at baggage claim now. Where are you?"_

" _At Avis Car Rental." He replied_

"Alright, how's a Dodge Journey for ya? It's white and is going to be on the bottom floor of the parking garage towards the back."

"That's perfectly fine with me sweetheart. Thank you."

Just as she was handing him the keys to the car, Cesaro walked up next to him.

"Hey Rollins!" he said in his Swiss accent

"What's up Cesaro, you ready to roll?"

"Sure am, I'm a little jet lagged but hey that's the life we live right?"

"You betcha."

Turning back to Jessica, he gave her a nod and a wink. She smiled back to let him know she saw him. With Cesaro next to him, they walked through the sliding glass doors into the Florida heat. Pushing his sunglasses back on his face, he went down to the bottom floor of the parking garage in search of the rental car. It didn't take them long, it was right where she said it was.

"Wanna drive?" He asked Cesaro

"Hungover?"

"That obvious huh?"

"No not at all." Cesaro laughed as Seth tossed him the keys.

Cesaro unlocked the doors and they put their luggage in the trunk before taking their respective seats in the front. Seth closed his eyes behind his shades as Cesaro sped out of the parking lot. He thought about how hungry was but he figured that could wait until later.

 _Back in Missouri…_

Sitting in class, Talia kept staring at the clock on the wall. She had about 15 minutes left of class and her teacher was droning on about God knows what. Usually, Talia was very attentive but today Seth was occupying all of her attention. Ever since her conversation with her mother earlier that morning she couldn't shut her brain down. She didn't know whether to be mad or grateful. Yeah it is pretty cool getting a personal invitation to go meet your favorite wrestler, but come on did it have to happen like that. Ugh, she was so embarrassed but she didn't know about what.

Pulling out her phone she tweeted…

 _When your mind is so jumbled but don't know how to fix it. What mess._

Luckily, she didn't have to work since it was a Thursday. She was just ready to go home and sleep these jumbled thoughts away. It was frustrating to not know exactly what she was feeling. Maybe she was in shock. Whatever it was she hated it. Could it just be 12:15 already so she could go home?

 _Back in Florida…_

"You alright man?" asked Cesaro

Seth woke up from the nap he didn't even realize he had taken. Damn this hangover was a bitch. He didn't even remember how much he had last night, but it must've been a lot. Collecting himself, he answered Cesaro's question.

"Yeah I'm good why?"

"Because I've been sitting in the parking garage for a good ten minutes trying to wake you up. I almost had to call in the calvary."

Looking out his window, he realized they had indeed arrived at the arena. Everybody from stagehands, lighting crew, to the wrestlers and divas were coming and going. He needed to pull himself together and fast because he was supposed to face Roman that night and he was one you always had to be ready for or he'd knock you clean out.

"Yeah I'm good I promise."

Opening his car door, he stepped down and stretched. From being cooped up in cars and planes all day his body cracked from head to toe. It felt good that's for sure but he really wouldn't mind a massage at the moment to top it off. He was just feeling like he got hit by a monster truck. Walking around to the trunk, he grabbed his suitcases and belt. Once Cesaro had grabbed his stuff and locked up, they walked into the backstage area together. As hungry as he was, catering was not the first place he went. Saying goodbye to Cesaro he put his stuff in the locker room and pulled out his phone.

" _Are you here yet?"_

It didn't take long before he got a reply.

" _Yeah. Chillin' in the stands. Why?"_

" _Got time to talk?"_ he replied back

" _Sure."_

Making his way through the backstage area and up through gorilla, he made it to the stage and stared into the empty stadium. It took a few minutes for his eyes to adjust but when he found the person he was looking for he walked down the ramp. Jumping over the barricade, he walked up a few steps before stopping.

"What's up little brother?"

"A lot Deano."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Broken Minds

 ***I own no rights to Seth's Twitter handle. That is his and his alone. PS said tweet is not real lol. Enjoy***

Sitting next to Dean, Seth sat in silence staring out into the empty arena. Dean knew how he was when he got like this so he waited patiently while Seth tried to collect his thoughts. To call him a jumbled mess was an understatement at that current moment. However, Roman aside Dean was the only other person that could get through to him. During everything that had happened in the last year between him and Yasmina they didn't judge him. Well that might be stretching it a little. They might have judged him more than anybody else but they also did their best to keep him in check without overstepping their boundaries. Now he'd arrived at a brick wall and didn't know what to do next.

"We gonna do this the easy way or hard way Rollins?" Dean asked with a hint of humor in his voice.

"Nothing about this is easy, so I guess the hard way."

"Alright then. First question. Ya girl?"

"Yahtzee." Seth replied in a dry tone.

"What did she do now?"

"Nothing. That's the thing. She hasn't done a damn thing but sit on her ass all day and whine and complain about bullshit Twitter trolls."

"Pfft. Always that internet nonsense. Exactly why I don't involve myself in it bro."

"Ha! I see why now. It's just…. I don't know anything anymore."

Seth could feel Dean looking at him with his steel blue eyes. That told him he was about to drive a point home. Love him or hate him Dean was a true MVP when it came to coming through in the clutch. The man was all over the place until he had to kick some ass or protect someone he cared about.

"I'm going to take a guess at what you're feeling that you can't seem to come to terms with."

"Go for it. You have a thing for nailing things on the head."

"Well little bro, my guess is that you knew you screwed up with your ex. However, you probably thought that if you stayed with Yasmina you could conquer whatever the world threw at you. From the judgment of fans and co-workers alike you didn't care what people said as long as you had each other. Unfortunately for you, now you're stuck with someone who I'm assuming doesn't really care about you the person but the entity that is Seth Rollins. You're realizing that she's milking you for everything that you can give financially that she's not even bothering to deal with the other parts that come with a relationship. Now I may not be the greatest expert on relationships but I can tell when a person is fed up. You're fed up and I can tell you have been for a while."

Seth waited a moment before replying to Dean. He needed time to process what was just explained to him. Dean wasn't wrong at all if he was being honest with himself. Tossing his phone around in his hand he let his brain take in everything.

Finally, after what seemed like hours he said, "I hate you sometimes Dean."

"The feeling is mutual most days." Dean laughed.

"Figured. Thanks for this though. You are right as usual. I just don't know where to go from here."

"Now that you know what you're feeling let Yasmina know that you're done playing with her. Just like women deserve the best, us men do too. Even when we royally fuck up. Oh, and the other chick that you're opting not to mention at the present moment, think with your mind and heart and not your dick this time around."

Dean got up from his seat next to Seth and let him mull over everything. Seth watched as Dean walked back down the steps and jumped over the barricade and headed to the back. Still in his seat he leaned back and blew out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Pulling out his phone, he opened the Twitter app and started a new tweet.

 _When your mind becomes a mental prison. What a mess._

As per usual it didn't take long for his phone to start blowing up with retweets, favorites, and replies. Just when he was about to close the app, a very special name came through his mentions.

"WWERollins Same big man. Same. I guess great minds struggle some days."

All he could do was smirk. He had a feeling there was a huge hidden message in that very simple tweet. Something was telling him, that her mother told her all about their encounter and she was struggling to deal with it. What a mental mess they were in. It was going to take everything they had to get through it. His meet and greet in Missouri couldn't get here fast enough.

* * *

Just as Talia was about to settle into a much needed nap, a notification came through to her phone. She made the mistake of opening it. Low and behold it was the one person she was trying to mentally run from. Why was she making a big deal out of this in the first place? It's not like anything was bound to come from it. He was just being polite she guessed. Whatever the reason there really was no reason for her to be overthinking this situation so much. After the meet and greet he was going to go back to traveling the world doing what he loved with not a thought in the world about her. So why couldn't she grasp this concept and apply it to her own life? Damn she was being extremely stupid over this. Overthinking was a serious nuisance. She guessed that's what happened when you'd never dated anyone. You start to imagine scenarios that would never happen. She really had to stop doing that or she'd forever be a victim of her own mind.

Putting her phone on her nightstand, she pulled the covers up to her chin and allowed herself to relax and sleep. As she slept, she'd have no control of where her thoughts took her and she didn't care. Dreams were just that, dreams and she let herself bask in whatever world she was taken too. At that point, anywhere was better than whatever prison she consciously put herself in.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: New Beginning's

 _3 weeks later…_

One more day. 24 hours. 1,440 minutes. But first Seth had one thing to solve before that one day, 24 hours, 1440 minutes became the present. He'd arrived back in Iowa about 1 p.m. after almost a month long run. He was exhausted and really wanted to plop face first on his bed. However, he knew the proverbial elephant in his house needed to be taken care of first. He'd texted Yasmina weeks ago saying they needed to talk but she never replied. However, he constantly saw her on Twitter doing her usual trolling and his poor fans falling for it every time. Not only was he tired of seeing the same shit every day he was just tired of her in general. He had no idea why he thought keeping her around was a good idea but bless this day for coming because he was about to lose a lot of baggage.

Of course, Yasmina didn't pick him up from the airport so as the taxi driver pulled onto his street he pulled out his wallet and gave the man a $50. The drive was barely worth forty bucks but he felt like that was a good time for his moment of kindness for the day.

"Thank you and keep the change." He said as he got out the cab and went around to grab his things from the trunk. Realizing he had to wash put him in an even more bitter mood than he was before as he walked up his front porch. Putting his key in the door, he walked into his house and put his bags by the front door. He heard the television on so he figured Yasmina was up. His suspicions were confirmed when he walked around the corner and saw her sitting Indian style on his black leather couch eating cereal.

"Hey babe! I didn't know you were coming back today."

"Clearly. I figured that out when you didn't pick me up from the airport." He said in a sarcastic tone.

"OH SHIT! I am so sorry. What can I do to make it up to you?"

"You can get out of my house for starters?"

Putting her bowl down on his glass coffee table, she turned around on the couch and faced him. She had a look of pure shock and confusion on her face. He was not going to go about this lightly. If he didn't put his foot down today, then he would lose his shit spending one more extra day with her.

"Excuse me? What? I don't understand."

"I know you don't but I'm not repeating myself. I didn't speak a foreign language."

He left her sitting on the couch as he went to his laundry room and turned on the washing machine. Might as well start washing now because the sooner he got this started the faster he could get some sleep. His body was aching all over and he was dying for an ice bath.

"What do you mean get out?"

He was slightly startled by Yasmina because he hadn't heard her come up behind him. But this whining in her voice was already berating his nerves, another reason she had to get out of his house by the end of the night. Hell, he'd help her pack if it meant she got out faster.

"It's not rocket science but since you're hell bent on not understanding I'll explain it too you one time and one time only. I want you out of my house by the end of the night. I do not want to wake up tomorrow with you still here. You've overstayed your welcome and I am over this fuckuationship. I'll help you get a flight to wherever you want to go but it's no longer here."

"You're serious."

"Deadly."

He left her standing in the laundry room as he went to go get his luggage so he could start washing.

* * *

 _3 hours away in Missouri…._

Talia was driving home from her last day of classes for the week ready to crash. All week she couldn't stop thinking about Seth. Every time his name even crossed her mind, her heart would skip a beat, her hands would get clammy, and breathing became a struggle. Meeting him had to be the worst idea she had to date. Why did she even think this was a good idea? She wished somebody would stop her. This man had taken over her mind so much so she could barely concentrate in her classes. She even turned off her Twitter because if she saw one more picture of him she'd surely lose her mind. Thoughts of everything that could go wrong were flooding her mind and she just wanted this to be over with. In that moment, as she pulled into her garage she vowed she'd never put herself through this again. She didn't care how many meet & greets he had she wouldn't be there. This was entirely too stressful for her fragile life to handle.

Locking up behind her, she grabbed a Pepsi from the fridge before heading upstairs to get that much needed sleep that she was craving. Dropping her book bag on the floor by her door, she changed into some basketball shorts and a tank top before crawling into her queen sized bed. Taking a sip of her Pepsi, she called her mom to let her know she had made it home safely. Once she got off the phone she turned it off, put it on the charger and snuggled under her covers. Hopefully, sleep would calm her nerves because tomorrow was bound to send her into overdrive.

" _Thanks a lot Seth."_ she thought to herself as she fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Day

Talia woke up around 3pm the next day after one helluva tossing and turning kind of night. Laying there, she stared at her ceiling and took a deep breath. THE DAY had finally come. Getting out of bed, she grabbed her clothes and went into the bathroom to take a shower. She was hoping a nice long shower would calm her nerves. Standing under the hot water, she slowed her breathing and just let her body relax. The hard part wasn't even here yet so their was no sense in worrying. After about 30 minutes she finished up her shower and got ready. Since it was the end of May she decided to wear his white tank top, some leggings, and brought her jacket with her. Knowing how her body temperature worked she would get cold before she got hot. After putting her black and blonde braids into a half ponytail, she put her earrings in, grabbed her black pair of glasses and left.

The Convention center was about thirty minutes away from her house and she had to stop by the bank to pay for that expensive ass parking in the city. It would all be worth it in the end though.

* * *

 _Also somewhere in St. Louis…_

Seth had arrived in St. Louis about 10 that morning. It was a long night for him but he got Yasmina out of his house by midnight. She didn't leave for Michigan until Saturday but he set her up in a hotel by the airport. That was the last time he would ever spend money on her.

As soon as he got in that morning, he found a CrossFit gym not too far from his hotel. He lived and breathed CrossFit and it was especially helpful when he needed a getaway from the world and to clear his head.

On his way to the Convention center he checked his Twitter. He noticed that Talia hadn't tweeted in a while and he chunked that up to his doing. Yeah he could be tooting his own horn on that but if she was feeling just an ounce of what he felt for her then he was definitely on her mind.

" _Come see me today from 5-8. Let's have some fun."_

He was hoping that Talia hadn't decided against coming because he really did look forward to meeting her. Something about her was so different from everybody else. She kept to herself, didn't really bother anybody, and supported him through everything. After his whole scandal thing he could admit that some people had dropped him but she stuck through it all even when she would drag him for absolute filth. Couldn't say he didn't deserve it because he did.

* * *

Talia had finally made it to the city after heaps of disgusting traffic. God she hated rush hour. It was bad enough St. Louis folks could barely drive but damn today was just horrendous. Or that could've just been her anxiety in overdrive. Finding a parking garage directly across from the Center she pulled in and parked her Jeep on the top floor. It was packed in there but this was the cheapest one she could find. St. Louis was good for ripping you off on parking, she thought to herself as she got out of the car.

"Alright let's do this."

Turning her phone back on from yesterday, she called her mom as she walked out of the garage.

"Hey mah."

" _Hey Talia. You going to go see your man."_

"He's not my man and yes." She laughed.

" _Try telling him that. I saw his face light up when we were talking about you. Tell him I said hi."_

"Whatever mom. I'll see you later."

" _Okay, and be safe."_

"I always am."

Just as she was about to hang up the phone her mom said one last thing.

" _Oh and Talia."_

"Yeah?"

" _Remember to breathe and be yourself. He'll like you just for being you."_

"Duly noted. Love you."

" _Love you too."_

After getting off the phone she finally checked her Twitter. She noticed that Seth had tweeted and debated whether to reply or not. Her emotions outweighed her sense.

 _WWERollins See you soon champ!_

Making it into the building, she followed all of the Wizard World signs and made it to the Admissions booth. Not many people were in line so it didn't take her long to get her admissions band and directions to the Photo Ops and Signings booth. By 4:45 she was waiting in line amongst many other Seth fans. She was trying so hard not to panic but she couldn't help it. Her body was hot all the way from the core, her heart was racing, and her hands were once again getting clammy. This couldn't be normal. This was going to be the longest wait of her life. The only thing that could get her mind off the long wait was looking at her Twitter feed. She followed a variety of different people so it was never a dull day on her timeline. Talia had gotten so caught up in her phone that when cheering erupted from around her she was startled. Looking up she heard people saying that he was here, and it looked like they were right because the far left line started to slowly move.

" _Here we go."_ She tweeted out.

She got a few replies of the "don't faint," and "have fun,' variety. She tweeted back with a "no guarantees on the fainting part."

As the line started to move faster and faster she convinced herself that everything was going to be okay. The worst thing that could happen wasn't going to happen. She could handle this and not make an ass out of herself. CALM DOWN TALIA, she yelled in her head. It took her being next in line for her whole body to pull itself together.

"ANYTHING YOU DON'T WANT IN THE PICTURE PUT IT ON THE TABLE." The lady yelled next to her ear.

"How you doing?" she asked

"I'm alright."

"You look so nervous."

"That obvious huh?" Talia asked

"A lil bit."

Talia handed the lady her card for the picture as she waited for the person in front of her to take their picture. Seth looked so much better in person. That was a lot of man standing in front of her. He had on a red CrossFit shirt, skinny jeans, his hair in a bun and his belt on his right shoulder. By all standards the man was looking good as fuck. When it was her turn, he looked at her and all her nerves left her body. A calm washed over her and she knew she'd be okay.

"Hey." He said to her.

"Hey! Can I have a hug?" she asked politely.

"Sure. Come on."

Walking up to him she slid her arms around his waist and his arm went on her shoulders. As they took the picture all she could think about was how good he felt. His abs were super hard and his body was so warm.

"Thank you." She said to him after the picture.

"You're welcome." He replied back with a smile on his face.

Walking out the booth she went to the tables to get her picture. The moment of truth was now upon her. How bad would she look standing next to that fine piece of man? When the man at the table handed her the picture all she could do was smile. She looked genuinely happy to be standing next to him and he didn't look to bad himself.

* * *

Seth had finally met Talia. She was everything he suspected and more. Her presence proceeded her. Something about her was so innocent. He didn't want to corrupt her but damn she was going to be hard to resist. When she asked for a hug he was taken aback because most fans don't ask they just take. She fit just right in his arm and he wished he could keep her there. Too bad this was a one and done deal. He had a feeling it would be a long while before they saw each other again.

Once he finished up the photo ops he made his way over to his signing table. Not that he would ever admit this out loud but the signings were one of his favorite things to do. He really got to know his fans a tad bit better. The stories behind some of things he signed for people were always interesting especially when he saw people with a replica title and it had so many different signatures on it. That's walking history right there.

Seth had signed everything from title belts, to pictures, a MITB briefcase, all the way down to his Survivor Series '14 chair before one special picture came across his line of sight. He looked up to see Talia standing in front of him.

"It's Talia right?" He asked as he got a marker to sign with.

"Mhm yeah."

"Look how happy we are."

He couldn't help it but it slipped. They really did look happy though.

"That's thanks in huge part to you." She replied

"Oh yeah?"

"Of course."

"What color you want?"

"Umm…silver please."

He picked up a silver marker but that one didn't work.

"My luck I pick the one that doesn't work." She laughed

It took three silver markers before he finally got one that worked.

"I'm surprised you still came."

"Did you think I wouldn't?" She asked with a smirk on her face.

"I don't know but I'm glad you did."

"I'm glad I did too. You made my year. Oh and my mother says hi."

"She's a good one, tell her I said hello."

"I will and thank you."

"You're more than welcome."

He watched as Talia walked away with a smile on her face. There was no way he could let that one out of his life. He didn't know how he'd do it but he had to take a leap of faith on this one. His track record with anything social media had been tragic as of late but hopefully Talia could turn things around for him. There was always a risk dealing with fans but this was a risk he was willing to take. She was different and he needed different in his life.


	9. Chapter 9

***This would've been** **up** **Sunday had my computer not officially broken. Now I am back in action! Hopefully no more serious delays other than writers block in the near future. xo***

Chapter 9: Connections

It had been a week since Talia had met Seth. She was still floating on cloud nine. It was still a bit surreal to her that she finally met one of her favorite wrestlers. He was so kind and nice to her and even better he was sexier in person. She honestly couldn't wait to meet him again but she knew in her heart it would be a while before that happened. Frankly, even though it disappointed her to think about she was glad she didn't have the means and opportunities to meet him often. She didn't want to become that stalker fan that saw him every chance she got. No, she would just enjoy the chances that she got when they presented themselves to her.

Walking out of her room in black leggings, a Harley Quinn tank top, sandals and her black pair of glasses she went downstairs to grab something to eat. For some strange reason school was still in session even though it was almost the end of May. So she had to drag herself to that rancid school to finish up her finals. Luckily, she only had one final that day but unfortunately for her it was in College Algebra. As she walked down the stairs she heard someone rustling around in the kitchen. Just to make sure she had the time right, she checked her phone. It was 8:30 in the morning and her mother should've been at work a long time ago. Rounding the corner, she saw none other than her mother standing by the refrigerator looking for something.

"Mom what are you doing here? It's 8:30."

"Well good morning to you too, sweetheart." Her mother laughed as she shut the refrigerator.

"Yeah hi. What are you still doing here?"

"I ended up oversleeping. I called the office and told them I'd be in by 9:30."

"Well you might want to hurry up. Traffic gets gross this time of morning."

"Yeah I know thanks for the reminder though."

"You're welcome."

"So. Have you heard from him?'

"Who?" Talia asked in an oblivious manner as she grabbed two eggs out of the refrigerator for breakfast. She knew full well who her mother was talking about but she'd been asking her the same question all week.

"You know."

"Well for the eight millionth time this week. No I haven't. I don't know what you expected to happen at this meet and greet. I'm just another fan mom."

"Well you don't know what…"

"Mom, with all due respect I don't want to hear about what you saw. I frankly don't give a shit anymore. Once again I state I don't know what you expected to happen but it's not going to happen. Not now. Not tomorrow. Not ever. Now please drop it. Thank you."

Instead of making eggs for breakfast like she had planned, Talia grabbed a brown sugar cinnamon pop-tart from the pantry and a package of muffins. She knew her mother meant well but she couldn't bear to stay around and look into her mother's hopeful eyes anymore.

As she went to grab her keys off of the entertainment center, Talia's phone buzzed in her hand. Turning the home screen on she saw that she had a Twitter direct message. She almost didn't bother to look at the name but something made her double check. So she looked at her phone again and saw that the message was from WWERollins. Her heart skipped a beat. Unbeknownst to her, her mother was standing in the kitchen looking at her, and she saw the smile that came across Talia's face. A mother always knows.

"Bye mom!"

"Bye sweetheart. Have a good day."

* * *

Seth had just gotten up and was lying in bed going through his different social media outlets and his text messages from the day before. It was his morning ritual before he went and did his CrossFit workout for the day. However, that day was a little different. He had debated with himself for a whole week on whether or not what he wanted to do was the right thing to do. Instead, he threw in the towel and said "fuck it." Opening his Twitter app that morning he went to Talia's page and went to her DMs. Although they didn't follow each other her DMs were open so he took it upon himself to make the first step.

" _Good morning. How's my favorite fan."_ Dear Lord that was a horrible start. He could do better than that. Just as he was about to send another message his phone lit up.

" _Morning champ. Favorite fan huh? I'll take that hopefully that title gets better over time."_

Man Talia was smooth, he thought to himself. She took one crappy line and turned it upside down. This was going to be a lot of fun.

" _I'm sorry for not hitting you up earlier."_ He didn't know why he apologized he just felt inclined too.

" _What are you apologizing for? I know you have a life outside of this and better things to worry about than me. Sounds harsh but it's the honest truth and I'm okay with it. Just happy that you made the choice to even reach out in the first place. Gotta start somewhere right?"_

" _Are you always this nice?"_

" _Nice! Ha! No. Understanding and real, then yeah but nice that comes few and far between."_

" _Looks like there's a lot of sides to you that I've got to know. Wherever do I start?"_

" _Wherever you want."_

Seth had gotten so caught up in his conversation with Talia that when his phone rang it startled him.

" _Hello." He answered._

" _ **Rollins where are you man? Thought we were heading out to the gym at 10:00."**_

" _What time is it?"_

" _ **It's 9:45 man."**_

" _Shit my bad. I'll be right down."_

Hanging up the phone, Seth threw off the covers and jumped out of the bed, put on his compression exercise pants, a T-shirt and ran to the bathroom to brush his teeth and throw his hair into a bun. Whenever Seth and Cesaro traveled together they did their morning CrossFit workout together. He usually went by himself but it made the workout even better with Cesaro. They always pushed each other to go beyond their limits. In short, he was a great support system.

"Hey man, I'm sorry I'm late."

"No worries. Late night?" Cesaro asked as they walked out the hotel lobby.

"Not really."

"Well something happened because you're never late, especially not for CrossFit."

"Yeah I know, just a weird morning."

Seth felt weird about mentioning Talia to him. The only person that had an inkling of what was going on was Dean and probably Roman. He was okay with that because he knew those two wouldn't say anything unless he wanted them too. Normally, he'd have no problem with outing who he was with to the guys but this time was different. He didn't know if it was because she was a fan or because he didn't know or understand what this was and what exactly he wanted out of this. Hopefully, time would tell but this was very different for him.


End file.
